Photo by JOHN HAEGER
International Boxing Hall of Fame 2011 member Mike Tyson poses with the fist cast team after having his fist cast at the hall on Friday, June 10, 2011.

CANASTOTA -- Murmurs and rumors turned to shouts and sprints across the grounds of the International Boxing Hall of Fame in a matter of seconds as what was a calm group of fans sitting down under the pavilion turned into a scramble for position at the front of the stage.

Mike Tyson had officially arrived in Canastota.

Surrounded closely by bodyguards and Canastota police officers, the former heavyweight champion made his first public appearance of the weekend Friday to immortalize the thing that made him famous. His right fist.

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Tyson and fellow Class of 2011 inductees Julio Cesar Chavez, Kostya Tszyu, referee Joe Cortez and trainer Nacho Beristain went through the fist-casting process to make plaster replicas to be placed with their Hall of Fame plaque.

"I've never seen so many cameras in my 22 years of doing this," said John Hunt, who oversaw the fist-casting process.

The former heavyweight champion received the biggest round of applause of the day as fans simultaneously called out Tyson's name, wished him congratulations and snapped photos.

Hunt explained the casting process to each inductee before plunging their right fist into a mold for several minutes. After the substance solidified, the boxing greats had to unclench their fist to slip their hand out. Hunt will make one plaster copy of each fist, then destroy the mold to guarantee it is a unique artifact.

"This is one of the best years I've ever seen here," volunteer Vern Wilson said of Tyson. "He's one of the best heavyweight champions there was."

Tyson went through the casting process, did a quick interview for ESPN's Friday Night Fights series, then returned to the SUVs he arrived in and was driven away.

There were clearly more visitors on the second day of the Hall of Fame Weekend than the first as lines stretched around the grounds looking for autographs and photos. Many of the fans in attendance were first-time visitors who came specifically to see the famous inductees.

Mary Helen Salas of Houston, Texas, arrived with her family in tow.

"Everybody loves boxing," Salas said of her husband Fernando and daughters Laura and Selina. "(Chavez) is one of our favorites and Tyson. I'm hoping to get autographs."

Jim Palmer finally made the trip Canastota from Erin, N.Y., for induction weekend after hearing about it for years and visiting the museum last summer.

"To see Stallone and Tyson and Chavez," Palmer said of his reason for coming. "I've always been into the more mainstream sports. I didn't realize all the history and all the old fighters until I came here. It's piqued my interest even more."

Palmer and the rest of the attendees will have to wait to see Stallone, the last 2011 inductee to make a public appearance. The writer and director of the "Rocky" movie series will arrive sometime before Sunday's ceremony, but how soon is up in the air.

Brothers Dicky Eklund and Micky Ward, real-life inspirations for "The Fighter" movie and the grand marshals of Sunday's parade held a talk Friday morning, then Tszyu filmed an interview workout with James "Smitty" Smith for an episode of his web show "In This Corner."

"It was really good because you hear about things in fights you never knew happened," said Jim Kernodle of Greensboro, N.C. "The insights are pretty cool because they are things you never hear anywhere else."

Gerald Fowler of Philadelphia has been coming to induction ceremonies since 2002, but missed last year. The lure of autographs from some of his favorite boxers like Tyson, Chavez, Tszyu and Sergio Martinez ensured he did not miss two years in a row, though.

"I really want Sergio Martinez's really bad." Fowler said of the autographs. "I really like him as a fighter."